Press Conference on "Reinforcing the Role of Women in the Middle East and North Africa"

Women are an essential element in the development of individual countries all over the world, from the economic and social point of view as well as that of human rights. The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in cooperation with, among others, No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ), has pleasure in presenting the project “Promoting Women Empowerment for Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development in the MENA Region”. The project’s objective is to reinforce the role of women through inclusive and sustainable industrial development in the Middle East and North Africa. The project is financed by the Italian Government, and will help boost the role of women in the economies of six countries through their six Ministries of Industry and Commerce. It will be combined with an offer of technical assistance to six national associations in the countries involved: AWTAD in Egypt, BPW-A in Jordan, Al Majmoua in Lebanon, AFEM in Morocco, BWF in Palestine and Femmes & Leadership in Tunisia. In particular, it will support the creation and development of businesses run by women, improving the business environment for female entrepreneurs and enhancing the role of women’s business associations in the provision of quality services at a national and regional level.
 
In October, for the occasion of EXPO 2015, UNIDO, NPWJ, Women for Expo and others partners will organise a Conference in Milan to discuss the challenges that women face in the MENA region for opening up and expanding their business enterprises and network. The Conference aims to promote political dialogue between the various interested parties and the Governments of the six countries selected, in order to determine the policies and legislative reforms necessary to reinforce the role of women in industrial development. It will also promote commercial collaboration and investment through inter-company trading and other means.
 
The Project will be presented in Milan on 6 July, during a press conference to be held at 11 a.m. near the “Women for EXPO” hall. Participants will be: Emma Bonino, Ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs and Founder of No Peace Without Justice; Giovanna Melandri, President of the Human Foundation G8 Social Impact Investment Taskforce; Marta Dassù, Executive President of Women for Expo; Pier Andrea Chevallard, Director of PROMOS, the Special Agency of Milan Chamber of Commerce (CCIAA) for International Activities; Monica Carcò, UNIDO Chief Investment and Technology Unit; Luca Zelioli, Head of Office II, Directorate General for Development Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; Carla Pagano, Gender and Social Protection Expert/Head of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Unit, UTL, Jerusalem; Sana Ghenima, President of Femmes & Leadership, Tunisia.
 
For further information, please contact Dino Fortunato (for UNIDO) at d.fortunato@unido.org and Greta Barbone (for NPWJ) at +39 06 68979262 or gbarbone@npwj.org